EASTHAMPTON -- State environmental officials continue to press the U.S. National Guard on the topic of drinking water contamination in Westfield.

The Guard is suspected of contaminating private and public wells with toxic chemicals known as polyfluorinated carbons, or PFCs. The chemicals allegedly came from firefighting foam used at Barnes Regional Airport and the Air National Guard's 104th Fighter Wing from the 1950s to the 1980s.

A regional waste site director with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection last week provided information to members of the Barnes Aquifer Protection Advisory Committee, a regional group that meets in Easthampton.

Eva Tor told the committee that the department is not satisfied with the pace of progress, and is considering its options, reports the Westfield News.

She said the National Guard did not respond to an order issued in October to investigate the private well contamination. MassDEP sent a second letter on Dec. 21, and the guard then promised to investigate. The Guard said it would act if a link is found between the foam and the contamination.

In the meantime, Westfield has been paying for contamination-related projects out of its own pocket, said city water systems engineer Heather Miller, also a member of the aquifer committee.

The City Council last fall was asked to approve a $5 million bond for the installation of a water filtration system and other upgrades. Mayor Brian P. Sullivan also asked the council to appropriate $7,500 from reserve accounts to the Law Departments to finance legal assistance relating to the contamination issue.

Sullivan said at the time that the city will seek restitution. "Right now our priority is to fix the problem and clean our drinking water," he said.

City wells #7 and #8, located near the air facility, were taken offline last May after contamination levels considered unsafe by the U.S. Environment Protection Agency were found. The chemicals were first detected in 2013, but the levels were below the EPA recommendations at that time.